Accent Body Contouring

Accent body contouring

Guinea Pig: Elizabeth Dehn

The Scoop: My eyes usually glaze over whenever I hear the words body sculpting, cellulite reduction, or worse: fat burning. I’ve been down this road before, and it rarely results in more than a nice long nap. But when said treatment is offered by The Metropolitan, home of the most life-changing (and painless) laser hair removal in the free world, I’m willing to make an exception. Also, there’s the whole swimsuit-season situation I can no longer ignore.

The Service: Unlike treatments that promise—and often don’t deliver—to destroy fat cells, The Metropolitan’s FDA-approved Accent Body Contouring relies on radio frequency technology to gently warm, break up, and flush out the fluids that build up around fat cells, adding unwanted volume. Think of it as a lymphatic-drainage massage on steroids. The heat also promotes the creation of new collagen at the inner layer of the dermis, resulting in smoother skin and, yes, reduced cellulite.

The Accent is designed for most trouble spots, including face, neck, abs, buttocks, back, upper arms, and thighs—the target of my treatment. For about an hour, the aesthetician, Amy Chapman, rubbed my saddlebags with a laser handheld device that emits gentle heat. The sensation was warm and relaxing, like a hot-stone massage. Meanwhile, Chapman told me how she lost one and a half inches from her midsection after just one session. Sold! Although The Metropolitan doesn’t typically measure patients before and after because there’s too much room for human error, you can expect to lose a quarter inch or more with each treatment.

Our Take: I could tell I’d lost something almost immediately when I slipped on my skinny jeans that night and my spandex running pants the next day. Not only did my clothes fit better, but my skin looked smoother—not a dimple in sight. More impressively, my thighs no longer felt tender to the touch, which had been a sign of “congestion” according to massage therapists. Things are starting to look up for that swimsuit.

Small Print: Treatments start at $199; three to 12 treatments are recommended per area. Take advantage of a July special: 40 percent off six-session packages.